In Time: Crestfallen
by Nevara Alyss
Summary: She's a condemned murderer. He's the priest with an unknown lineage. Both have fates bound to the other. Polar perspectives on whether the world should be saved drive the two closer together. Are they perhaps not saving the world, but each other? Multiple PoV tale and tweaked for story continuity.
1. Baurus: Protectors and Prisoners

**Baurus****  
**

We'd been searching through records for three days awaiting word from Jauffre for our next step. He only told us to find someone who had a past with these assassins, even loosely. The Emperor was grief stricken over the loss his sons and his pain was our failure. He sat silently in the prison's repository of records while we combed through names and past affiliations. Several could have fit the mold of what we were looking for but the more we searched the more worried we became for the Emperor's safety. Someone had to of known something about these crimes committed against the Empire or how they operated.

It was Captain Renault that found Kainé's name. She had uttered the name a few times to herself before retrieving a dusty scroll from a rack. She hurried back and leaned over the document. The faint flicker of half-spent candlelight lit the text. Her eyes darted from one end of the page to the next as she read. The silence was deafening as Glenroy and I waited for whatever discovery she had made. Her lips moved silently as her eyes shot up to us. A small spark of relief caught our attention and we leaned over the scroll.

"I heard about this one," she uttered. I looked at her as she recounted to herself the story. "It was some time ago. A child was found in Sideways Cave amongst the corpses of her parents. She couldn't have been more than five or six at the time. According to reports from the citizens of Bravil, the family was on a brief expedition and hadn't shown up in days. When they finally went in search for them the place was a disaster. The parents were unrecognizable. The amount of trauma to them was devastating; they weren't even recognizable at that point." She paused with a stifled sigh and shook her head. "She didn't say much about what happened only that a monster came and hurt them. They found books on summoning daedra and etchings of daedric text written in her hand."

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Glenroy asked hesitantly. "This girl couldn't be here for that. It's inconceivable to think that a child has grown up in a place like this since then."

Captain Renault glanced at the paper; her finger drug down it till it came down to a second section. She stared at it intensely and frowned. Whatever she had found had unsettled the usual stoic woman. She turned her gaze to the heavy wooden door and back to the paper as if rereading it to be sure she was correct in her assumption.

"She's been here for five years," she finally replied. "Since she was twelve years of age."

"What in Mara's mercy did she do?" I questioned.

"Triple homicide," she muttered as she turned her back from us.

I stiffened at the revelation. The very idea of a child sitting in a cell for so long would have driven her insane. The notion was unsettling for us all. I snatched the file from the table and read it aloud. Everything stared at me in black and white. She had been convicted of the murders of her adoptive mother, her sibling, and an unidentified person.

"I heard about that," Glenroy growled. "The man that adopted her was an Imperial legionnaire. He had been very adamant about her innocence, but people who had been to both scenes had said they were almost identical. The only difference being the third and we wouldn't even know about that if she hadn't shown up."

"I had only heard about the double. It was a triple?" I queried; my mouth ran dry in an instant.

"The unidentified person was a friend of hers. She was covered in blood when guards found her. She had only been mumbling incoherently to herself. It took days to find out what happened and that's when they found out about the boy. His severed arm was found near the opening to the cave," Glenroy responded. His complexion became gaunt as he spoke. "It's a damn shame, too."

"So do we think it's still wise to question her?" I asked.

"We don't have much choice," Renault muttered. "We've already exhausted most of our leads and she's the only one left."

The Emperor cleared his throat and approached us. He glanced over the table stacked with books and scrolls. His eyebrow furrowed in thought and nodded. We could see the deep wrinkles becoming craggier in his face. He was exhausted from the ordeal. It had us all pent up with tension. He eyed Captain Renault and silently motioned for the last document in the stack of Kainé's file.

"She's scheduled for execution today, by order of the Elder Council and me," the Emperor stated.

"Baurus, tell the jailor we'd like to speak with the condemned," Captain Renault gruffly ordered.

I snapped to and saluted. If this girl was our last avenue of opportunity then we had to take it for the sake of the emperor's life. I had my doubts about this, but there was no hesitation in the captain's eyes. She knew - as well as the rest of us - that if this didn't work we'd have no choice but to get the emperor to safety with limited resources and knowledge about our enemy. I prayed that she would be of some help to us. She had to be.

I hurried from the room and ran across the prison's yard. The sun had barely broken the horizon and the summer's coming dawn was balmy and sweet. No one would have guessed that terrible dealings were going on and the inevitable backroom deal we would have to render if this child could help us.

As I opened the door to the prison tower, several guards were exiting for their morning patrols. They were unaware of the dangers that could be lurking in the shadows. When I slipped in I entered a dimly lit room. The jailor sat at his desk reading the reports for the previous night. His eyes shot up at me when the door slammed shut. I didn't give him time to say anything. I approached his desk and tossed the scroll on top. His eyes fell on it questioningly and then rose up, perplexed by what I was giving him.

"We want to see Kainé," I blurted.

He rounded the desk; his eyes narrowed on me intently and frowned.

"That's going to be a problem," he said. "Kainé is in solitary confinement at the moment for assaulting a guard."

"We just need to question her about some things," I replied. "We know she's scheduled for execution. It won't delay it."

"I don't think you understand," he interjected with a sniff. "Kainé hasn't spoken to anyone in over two years. You won't get anything from her. And for the safety of the public I can't allow her to leave her cell until her execution. I'm sorry."

"Let us try, then," I insisted. He folded his arms and scowled. He stared at the floor in thought for several minutes. I could only wait as he mulled over the risks of a violent offender getting out and in to the population. "We know her sordid past and if she does anything we'll cut her down."

"_If_ I let her out for questioning, I want two guards in the room with her at all times. And she is to remain shackled," he snapped coldly.

"That's fine," I uttered rapidly.

He let out a sigh and motioned for another guard. The young man neared and leaned in as the jailor whispered to him. The gentleman's eyes shot to me and nodded slowly. He pulled away and slipped through another door.

"We'll bring her to you in a few minutes," he said before returning to his work.

I was relieved. I could only turn around and walk out knowing that our chances of success had minutely increased. Everything hinged on a condemned individual and my reluctance to trust what she had to say weighed heavily. I was worried about the gamble we were making on this conversation we were about to have with a convicted murderer. Even the jailors seemed wary of her. They didn't fear their charges but this woman, this child; had rattled them at the mere idea of letting her out.

As we sat and waited for her arrival we all shared glances. Outside the birds sang and everything was a euphoric experience, but here: it was desolate and lifeless. I don't think anything could have made it worse until we heard the scraping of chains along the stonework. Two sets of boots marched closer and stopped. The door swung open letting in bright daylight sun from the windows in the next room.

Our eyes then fell on the hooded and chained person between them. She was small and pale. Two twig-like arms were shackled in front of her. She took a couple of steps and was pulled back by one of the hulking guards. She looked like a child compared to them. The top of her head barely graced their shoulders as they stood in the doorway.

She swayed to and fro as they dragged her to a chair across the table from us. They slammed her into it, sending the chains into singing. She stiffened slightly and then relaxed. Her head hung forward and she let out a sigh. It was weak and wavering. Her whole body seemed to shudder as she breathed. It was pathetic to witness and disheartening to see the wounds from her manacles across her wrists. Carved into the iron were runes. It didn't seem possible that a girl of this stature could have committed so many deaths. Yet here she sat with an executioner's hood on and a blindfold.

"Alright, Kainé, you are going to answer these people's questions and you aren't going to give them any lip," one of the guard's growled.

Her head shot to the man. The feeling of contempt was palpable to all present. Even blinded, bound, and sentenced to death, she was still defiant. That's when I realized that we might have nothing with this one either. But that's when I first met the girl named Kainé.


	2. Kaine: Prisoner of Fate

**Kain****é**

I took pleasure in not being in my cell. The brief respite from being shackled to the ceiling soothed the tension in my shoulders. The cage I lived in was dark. No light every penetrated it and it reeked of stagnant water and decay. Hours I had spent waiting for an appeal met with realization that I was denied at every given turn. Days would pass without acknowledgement. Nights drew in sighs of anger and pain. Loneliness was my companion and friend in trying times. Isolation and ill-gotten gloom became my home. Memories kept me alive; even the bad ones.

Walking across the grass blindly with the aid of guards was a vivid experience. Sharp shards had tickled my feet as we made our way into a building. I had nearly forgotten the sensation of what it felt like to be outside. The sun's warmth, the breeze against my skin, everything seemed so perfect. I could look past the firm grip the men had or the hood put over my head. I had insisted since I had not been in the light for so long. I could even accept the chains and manacles weighing me down if it meant I got to recapture the long forgotten moment one last time. Everything I felt from my imprisonment was second nature and so it was alright.

The only thing that dimmed my hidden elation was the soft scraping of metal on a grindstone. The constant tone followed us inside. My feet hit cold stone and I knew we had entered another building. The room was silent and I thought we were alone. I was shoved in to a seat and ordered to do as I was asked. I couldn't help but glare at him. I wanted my father here so I could say good-bye but from the tone I was receiving it was not.

I listened to the soft rasp of metal on wood. It was just loud enough to hear over the low crackle of fire to my left. Papers shuffled near me and I searched until I felt my hands touch the top of a table. I rested my hands on it and waited for whoever was in the room to say something.

"Kainé? We'd like to ask you some questions," a woman stated. I heard the clanking of steel fall away and comeback as if she was pacing. My head cocked inquisitively as I replaced my hands in my lap. My toes curled into the stone as I waited for her to continue. "What do you know about daedra worship?"

I hadn't had someone ask me that in years. It seemed strange to be asking about such things. They could have just as easily asked someone at the Arcane University or researched a book on it. I made little difference about it since my knowledge was miniscule at best. I only knew basic terminology and in my youth could summon only the most weak of daedra for only a few seconds. As for the worshipping part, well, I didn't understand it, didn't want to, and had no idea what it had to do with me.

I knew my parents worshipped one and studied them to great depth, but who they worshipped, I hadn't a clue. Maybe it was their zealous nature that led to what happened. I could not say for certain. And unless what happened then had any relevance now I couldn't see it.

All I could do was shrug and wait for the next question.

"You must know something. You were raised by worshippers. Everyone knows this. There was enough evidence at the location of your parents' death to prove you had a hand in their plans. What was it?" a man barked to my right.

I started to open my mouth to argue with him, but he was in fact right to some extent. I learned to write and read the daedric text before I could any other language. However it didn't mean that I was cavorting with them. I was a child who relished learning new things. My first summoning was an ethereal dog that barked and blinked away just as quickly. Ma and Da were proud of that accomplishment, but that's where things started to take a downward turn for us.

My parents had started acting strangely, argued frequently and in a month's time, we were exploring that damned ruin. From there, everything gets hazy. I can still feel the pain of the situation to this day, but the events seemed to fragment like a broken mirror.

I shrugged again and shook my head. I was growing bored with questions I couldn't answer. Not that I would with all the authoritative voices being thrown around as if I was the enemy. Silence was a better clue to my lack of concern about the proceedings than being snide and spiteful.

A firm hand closed around my face and squeezed.

"We told you to be cooperative," a guard hissed. His fingers dug into my cheek bones creating an enormous amount of pressure in my head. "Are you going to answer the questions or not?"

I shook my head and anticipated being hauled off to the chopping block. The executioner had to be ready for my arrival. Though I had no real knowledge on the length of time it would be before my head rolled; it wasn't like it mattered. Whether it was five minutes from now or tonight; it was indeed going to happen. However, there was no sudden clawing to pull me away; it was abrupt and sharp.

I felt like I was falling and crashing down. My limbs shot out as far as they could manage. My face burned; the back of my skull throbbed. Icy rock burrowed its lack of heat into my protruding bones. I tried to breathe and gasped. I was drowning out of water. My eyes stung with tears; my vision showed me bright white light. My ears rung loudly and over the din of ear piercing noise was yelling. Someone pulled me up by the arms and placed me in a chair. I was dizzy, voices were incoherent, and nausea became apparent. I swallowed the urge. My head fell forward. The hood became damp and then my hands. Blood trickled down my face and I blew it from my mouth.

"That's enough," a man ordered through the chaos. "Let me speak with her."

"Sire," the woman interjected. "I don't think that's wise."

"Let me judge for myself. Let me look at this girl in the eye and see if I can persuade her to do the honorable thing," the man replied calmly. "Extinguish some of these candles so that she may see me clearly."

There was a lot of scuffling as people moved around the room. And then silence. I felt the pull of my blindfold and then my hood came over my head. I slammed my eyes shut instinctively and let the adrenaline subside before I opened my eyes again. The world was a blur. Figures moved around me as I glanced at each one of them. Only one remained stationary. He sat across from me and as my sight cleared I could tell he was elderly, well-dressed and eerily calm.

"Are you alright?" he questioned, taking out a kerchief and handing it across the table to me. I watched it suspiciously and glimpsed my chained wrists. I tried to bring my hands up to receive it, but the restraints barred me from going far. The man frowned and rose from his seat. He circled the table and pulled a chair close to me. He again offered the thin scrap of fabric politely. He dabbed the blood from my face and shook his head. "Baurus, get me a bowl of water and a cup for her to drink." He examined me closely before saying. "Also bring some bread and fruit."

The redguard nodded with a glance and left the room. The elderly man returned his attention to my shackles. His thumb ran over the carved runes and muttered to himself.

"It's to keep me from summoning," I murmured. The sound of my own voice was foreign. I hadn't heard it in years. "They think I'm a threat."

"You are a threat," a man grumbled from a corner. "You are here at the emperor's behest."

"If this has something to do with what happened five years ago. I didn't do it," I snapped angrily. I glared at the elderly man out of spite and shot from my seat. "What happened to me was a damn witch hunt!"

"Kainé," the emperor said. "My sons are dead and we need to know if you can help us. I know you can."

"Your parents were daedra worshippers. Who was it?" the woman queried. "Who were their known associates?"

"How the hell should I know," I grumbled. "You people are hypocrites, you know that, right? You have your little problems and go to the one source you _think _can help you. The lack of creativity behind this is astounding."

"Please," the emperor pleaded.

"I can't help you. If I could; I wouldn't. Not for feigned kindness or freedom," I uttered coldly. "I don't give a shit about your loss. You sentenced me to death for a crime I didn't commit and now you beg?" I glanced back toward the guards. Their blades were unsheathed. I knew what they were thinking and I wasn't going to give them the chance to carry out an early sentence. "Take me back to my cell. I have a date with the headsman."

The armored men grabbed my arms and led me from the room. I saw Baurus coming down the hall with a bowl of water and a small sack under his arm. He stopped when he saw us and let us pass without a word. He just stared questioningly at me and shook his head. His opinion was invalid to me along with all the others. We exited the building; sunlight streamed into the yard with summer's humid illumination. Sparse clouds dotted the azure sky. It was brilliant to witness in its entire splendor if only for a moment when all went black and I couldn't see or hear anything at all.


End file.
